My daughters, and many other people, have not understood my passion for gardening. This; however, is not difficult to understand for those who follow their own passions. A musician, for example, is happiest when he is creating music. An artist is compelled to create outwardly, the beauty she sees within her own imagination. A writer must write. An actor must act. A caregiver must care for others and a teacher delights in teaching. An athlete must hone his skills.
I recently explained to my youngest daughter, who works in law enforcement, that her passion is not different from mine. She spends her free time watching television about fighting crime. I am drawn to garden centers like a bee to a flower. My library of gardening books and books on ecology continues to grow. I see an empty space and I immediately begin to imagine its possibilities. I see a weed (a plant growing in the wrong place) and I want to pull it. I cannot keep my hands out of the “dirt,” both outside and the soil in which my numerous houseplants are growing. And, just like a plant, I crave sunlight and water. Rain is my friend, but cold and wind are not welcome in my world.
Some people recognize their passion at an early age. I was well into my thirties before I began to understand the emptiness and craving that had lived inside of me for years – a need to be outside, surrounded by green, growing things and wildlife. I see others struggling, meandering through their lives directionless and lost. Modern society does not value or nurture individuality; but rather suggests that one’s life should be devoted to the pursuit of acquiring money and saving for retirement. It has been said that money cannot by love; yet too many people believe that it will provide them happiness. I am grateful to have recognized that our most important endeavor in life is to be true to ourselves, to our souls, to our passions. I am grateful to honor my own soul’s need to garden.
